Self proclaimed Hamlet
by Angus of Sherlock's
Summary: Henry knows he has to save everyone, that the ripples of change will soon change into a tsunami. He knows fate has a plan. He just doesn't know why he has to be a part of it.
1. Prologue

Henry was nervous, and understandably so. Here he was, for the first time out of Storybrook.

It didn't help to calm his nerves that he was all alone in a big new city. He wasn't used to the size of everything. Storybrook was a small town where everyone knew each other. Here there were hundreds of people trotting all over each other, the crowds overwhelming and loud. Henry could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to will it to calm down.

He took a deep breath as more nerves hit him. _In... out. In... and out._ He smiled tensely as he heard Jiminy Cricket in his mind. _Calm down_ the voice said. ' _Easy for you to say'_ Henry thought but concentrated on doing just that. He had a mission and had to be ready for everything. His anxiety would have to wait.

Henry knew that most people would say that he was being stupid. Here he was, searching for a woman that abandoned him a decade ago, one that doesn't care for him. He had long realised that his real mom didn't want him and that truly hurt. But he had grown up with that knowledge and learned to quench the emotions.

If it were up to him, he wouldn't have anything to do with her. She had the power to royally mess up his life and he didn't want to give her the chance. However, he knew that he needed her. Heck, the whole town of Storybook needed her and without her they were doomed. Luck was not on his side.

So, unfortunately he needed to find her. It was logical, plain and simple. He was the only one who could walk out of Storybrook and so that's what he did. Now he was looking for the saviour, the one who would break the curse and bring back all the happy endings. It was just his luck that the person happened to be his real mother - the one person he would rather avoid.

He breathed in sharply when he saw the entrance to the hotel. The door looked plain enough, but the boy felt panic overwhelm him at the thought of what was behind it. He slowly entered. His hands were in his pockets, scrunching the material and he was wished that they would stop shaking. Too soon he was standing in front of a room. The room.

He knew she was there, he could hear noise coming from behind the door. He clenched his fists tighter and shut his eyes. _Breath. In... out... In... and out..._ He knew this was an important moment. Both for Storybrook and for him. He tried to relax and compose himself as he counted to five. He knew from this day everything would be different.

He could only hope the changes would be for the good. _1,2,3,4,5..._ Taking a deep breath he raised his hand and knocked.

* * *

 **That's it. I know it's short, but I hope you still enjoyed it. My Henry is a bit different, a** **bit more mature. Tell me what you think! You know the drill: Read and Review! This is a oneshot, but I may write some more when I get another idea. Thank for reading!**


	2. The Game is On

They rode in silence. She was everything Henry thought she would be. A textbook saviour - courageous, self-sacrificing, a bit dim and most importantly - going through an inner conflict. Henry could see why the universe chose her as the saviour, he just didn't understand why he had to be thrown into the whole "adventure".

He didn't try to talk to her. Surprisingly, he felt better after meeting her. For years she's been just an idea in his head, now that he saw she was real he had a sort of closure. He could stop thinking of her.

But then again, she was here and now she was his problem. He had to take care of her because for some reason it was his duty to save Storybook. He was the Guardian, the heir of Storytelling. Though he never wanted that, he was stuck with those titles and he wouldn't let the universe down, it was her who gave him power.

"Can we stop somewhere?" He asked quietly. He desperately needed to be alone for a moment, the thoughts of the future clouding around him. Emma didn't notice his turmoil.

"Quit complaining, kid. Remember, I could have put your butt on a bus. I still could." She said. _Why didn't you?_

"You know I have a name? It's Henry." He said instead and felt a spike of satisfaction as she winced and glared at the road ahead of them. He decided it was time to introduce her to the story of why she was here. The huge book of story tales fit comfortably in his hands. Sure enough, it drew the eye of Emma.

"What's that?" She asked and he hesitated. Maybe a tad of adventure thrown in the mix for her would help him get her to do what he needed?

"I'm not sure you're ready." He said confidently.

"I'm not ready for some fairy tales?" She scoffed and he frowned.

"They're not fairy tales," he said sourly, "they're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

"Of course they did." Henry hated when people were condescending. He remembered when she said she had a "superpower" - she knew when people were lying. She actually believed in that, so why would she not give him the benefit of the doubt?

"Just because you believe in something, doesn't make it true." The storyteller in him awoke with a roar.

"That's exactly what makes it true!" He said sharply. Still, this wasn't a time to argue, he had to get her interested. "You should know more than anyone." He said, steadily.

"Why's that?"

"Because you're in the book." Oh, she was hooked. He could see her struggling not to ask for more information.

"Oh, kid. You've got problems." She finally said.

"Yep." He said completely honestly.

Eventually they arrived at Storybrooke.

"Okay, kid. How about an address?" _Ah,_ _still in denial that I am her kid. Still refusing to call be by the name she herself gave me._ He didn't have time for her internal conflict shit.

"Forty-four Not Telling You street." He said sarcastically. She stopped the car and glared at him.

"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost..." She glanced at the Storybrooke clock and did a double take. "8:15?"

"That clock hadn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here." He shrugged.

"Excuse me?" He cringed.

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here." He never really liked the story. Emma looked at him exasperated.

"Okay."

"And now they're trapped." She raised an eyebrow.

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?"

"Unfortunately it's true. It's not like I like the situation."

"Then why doesn't everybody leave?"

"Cause they don't know they're someone else. They're trapped in their lives. Besides, they can't. If anyone tries to leave, some sort of weird thing happens and they end up staying." Suddenly they heard someone call out.

"Henry!" They turned around to see Archie walking is dog. "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" For the first time that day Henry smiled.

"I'm fine, Archie." He said, crouching down to pat the beast that was wagging it's tale against his legs.

"Who's this?" The man asked, suspiciously.

"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma said quickly and Henry scoffed.

"She's my mom." Archie's eyes widened.

"Oh, I see."

"Do you know where he lives?" Emma asked and Archie gave Henry a confused look.

"Yeah, sure. Just up on Mifflin street. The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." Emma turned to Henry accusingly.

"You're the Mayor's kid?"

"Uh, maybe." Henry glared back. Archie looked back and forth between them.

"Hey, where were you today, Henry? You missed your session." The man tried to defuse the tension.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip." Archie nodded. From behind Emma, Henry slowly pointed at himself and made the loony sign next to his head, hoping the man would understand. Thankfully he did.

"Henry. What did I tell you about lying? Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything." Emma looked startled.

"Ooookay... Well, I really should be getting him home. Henry's eyes gleamed.

"Bye Archie. See you tomorrow." They moved down the road. Emma looked thoughtful.

"So that's your shrink." She commented and Henry felt anger tug at his stomach. How dare she call Archie that?

"I'm not crazy." He said calmly and worry crossed across Emma's face.

"I didn't say that! Just, he doesn't seem 'cursed' to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you?" _Of course he's trying to help me._

"As I said, he doesn't know. None of them do."

"Convenient. Alright, I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?" Henry smirked. The game had started the minute he entered her hotel room.

"Jiminy Cricket." She went to say something but saw the look on his face.

"Okay."

* * *

 **Okay, I've stopped watching Once Upon a Time long ago, but decided that rewriting it my way could be a lot of fun. I'm not saying I will update often, but I will definitely try to write more as fast as I can cause I have so many ideas.**


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